The Enthusiast

“The Swiss cheese body shell all but collapsed into its base elements when we took the car apart”

This year wasn’t as bad as most. How was it for you? I mean, if you own one or two old Land Rovers and, like some of mine, they hibernate during the worst of the winter months, how did you enjoy that first spring drive? Before I continue let me just say that I know that sounds bonkers – the idea of a Land Rover being tucked away in a nice dry garage when the weather outside is throwing down all the things that Land Rovers were designed to deal with. But nowadays there are certain cars that you just don’t want to get caked in salt.

I discovered just how world-class certain Land Rover models can be in the art of terminal corrosion several years ago, when the time came to either scrap or rebuild my 1990 Range Rover. During its first ten years with me, it did rather more than its fair share of off-roading, long- distance expeditions, winter driving, and wading. In short, it was used and abused.

The Swiss cheese body shell all but collapsed into its base elements when we took the car apart, and I tried to convince myself that the root cause must have been abuse during its life as a demonstrator, but I knew that really I had no-one else to blame but myself. Succumbing one day to pressure from Nick Dimbleby to drive it through the sea on a section of privately-owned beach on the east coast of Scotland probably didn’t help matters, but the resulting photograph was pretty cool!

After a year-long restoration and a lot of expense I decided that salt, sea water and serious off-roading would not figure in SYD’S second life. So the old boy has become a bit of a summer motor, while the trusty 300Tdi deals with the winter months. But that means for a third of the year or more SYD is stored in a unit quite a few miles away from home, which means the winter resolution to start it at least once a month is not really that easy to achieve. And that means the car is susceptible to the insidious corruption of C2H6O, or Ethanol as it is to you and me.

This is the alcohol that our illustrious leaders have been adding to our petrol since the government announced its Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation in 2005, and petrol now comprises up to five per cent Ethanol, which proportion is apparently set to increase soon to ten (in Brazil it is already 85 per cent, and the US is apparently heading the same way). If you run an old car – some sources say it does not actually have to be that old, maybe just ten years – you will in all probability have encountered at least some of the problems this can cause. Over the years, I have confronted almost all of them. The Full English of Ethanol-induced internal combustion engine horrors. And it isn’t just about cars that sit out the winter. Any vehicle that is stored, or not used regularly, is susceptible. Let me remind you what Ethanol can do.

Firstly, there’s the physical damage. Ethanol eats certain compounds and unfortunately for us the lists includes plastic and rubber, so things like fuel pipes and O-rings are at risk. It will also attack many other fuel system components such as cork, polyurethane, and internal sealants applied to steel fuel tanks. It also causes fibreglass and epoxy resin to soften.

Secondly, it has a corrosive habit and helps rust to form on steel, and oxidation to occur on aluminium, brass and copper. It’s not very helpful to zinc and galvanised items either.

Thirdly, Ethanol is also hygroscopic, which means it attracts water. It draws moisture out of the atmosphere on a humid day, or from condensation forming in a fuel tank, and absorbs it into the fuel mixture. And to make matters worse, once the amount of water absorbed reaches saturation point, something exceptionally unpleasant happens called phase separation. Put simply, the Ethanol and its water content separate from the petrol, creating three distinct layers in the tank and reducing the octane rating of the petrol. You don’t want any of this going into your engine.

And finally there is the goo problem. Ethanol and water together can quickly form gums in the fuel system, which readily coat components including filters, carbs, injectors and pumps, and form varnish and carbon deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber.

Prevention is better than cure, and without a doubt starting the engine regularly, and hopefully managing to drive the car, is the best remedy in my experience. But there are many other things you can do, from replacing susceptible components to avoiding damp environments to using additives that reduce corrosion risk and gum formation. There are many products out there and it is well worth an hour or two of research and exploration. The Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs publishes some useful research results on products that have been shown in tests to have a positive impact.

This year for me wasn’t too bad. Just one gummed-up and nonfunctional fuel pump, which had to be replaced. As to the politics of adding Ethanol in the first place, don’t get me started.